Urgent Care :: Looking for some suggestions

[Danielle]

Hello! I am a new turtle owner. I got Casey and Chester about a month ago at about 2 inches in size. They seemed to be doing fine after a couple of days of adjusting, but then we noticed that Casey wasn't eating. I was worried and thought she needed a better home (they came in one of those little lagoons) so I went to a reptile store and bought all the right equipment (ie. large aquarium, filter, thermometer, light, basking rock). I thought that this would help her but she is still not eating. Chester is doing great (we brought them home together). Casey just sits on the basking area and doesn't eat. We have to put her in the water everyday because we never see her go in. She always gets immediately out. Her eyes don't seem swollen, but she does keep them closed a lot and she seems to "itch" them a lot. We have tried different food (pellets, guppies, lettuce, bananas) but she won't eat anything. I am planning on getting a heater for the water because everything that I read says to try and warm up the water temp. I am hoping that will help. Right now it is stable at about 75 degrees.
Does anyone have any other suggestions on what I could try or do for her? I hate to see her so sick when her brother seems to be doing great! Thanks so much!
Danielle

[Vivi]

some turtles wont eat for the first days. try some smelly foods like tuna. how big is there tank?? caseys eyes are swollen it could be because of the water that they were in. it should clear up soon. if the water is clean and your keeping it clean it should go away.

oh and welcome.

[sonyj]

Welcome... I just have a few questions that might help us figure out what the problem could be.

What size tank are they in? And how full of water is it?

By light, do you mean both a UVB (florescent type that doesn't emmit heat) and a UVA (regular household bulb that can be used for a basking light)? They do need both of these kinds of lights.

And what is the basking temp? The water temp at 75 is okay for older turtles, hatchlings should be at 78. This temp should not fluctuate at all so a heater is probably needed unless you are in a climate that stays warm year round. The basking temp should be at least 10 degrees warmer than the water.

Usually when a turtle is sick the general idea is to bump the temp up a few degrees to around 80-82. This will help their natural immune system to fight illness. You may want to separate the two turtles so that if Casey is sick you can care for her properly and Chester will not be affected. If she is very lethargic, a visit to a herp vet might be the best way to go.

Sorry I can't help more but I'm sure with some more info someone here will be able to help a little more.

[shady1616]

Bubbles was the exact way. Where, how, and what are u feeding him? Try feeding him by hand. Pick him up and try to motivate him to eat, like wave the food around his nose and rub it on his "lips". try to make him open his mouth.
If you are feeding him pellets, make them mushy (dunk them in the water) and cut them in half so its easier for him to eat. If he takes a bite, put him back in the water as soon as he takes the bite.

And as Vivi said, try feeding him smelly foods like tuna, cooked chicken, and egg whites.

you can see some other advice on some of the replies on my post (I had the same problem, well it looks like the same problem I had):
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... sc&start=0

[marisa]

Where are you located? If it's warm where you are, is the turtle in a room with AC? (If so, move the turtle away from any vents/breezes.)

What is the turtle being fed?

[Danielle]

Thanks for the suggestions. Here is the latest.
Last night I noticed what i believe is diarrhea and her eyes are definately swollen. When we put her in the water she just floated. She wouldn't even swim. I started to get really worried that she would make Chester sick so I took her out of my tank and put her back in the lagoon for now and put her outside on an enclosed porch. I live in South FL so i figured it would be warmer outside than inside in the 75 degree water. I called around to see if any vets would see her but there were none in my area.
As far as feeding we have tried pellets, bananas, live guppies, and lettuce. None of which she is interested. I have put the wet pellets right up to her mouth before and there is still no interest. I have not tried the tuna...i will try that tomorrow.
I will put her back in the large tank (20 gallons) with the light and filter after I get the heater if you think it is safe with my other turtle in there. i just don't want to make him sick too! Any other advice I would love to hear.
By the way i did read all about bubbles when I first found the site. Thanks again.

[marisa]

The swollen eyes, floating and lack of appetite sound like your turtle possibly could have a respiratory infection. The diarreha could be something she ate, an intestional problem, even parasites. It would be good to keep your turtle warm and separated from the other while you find a herp vet to take a look at her. There's a sticky with links to herp vets at the top of the forum. Let us know what happens.

[shady1616]

that's exactly how bubbles was!!!

i live in south florida too!!!

[lydia_lady_fla]

please find a vet and keep the turtles seperated for now.